Diego Simeone has told Atletico Madrid he will become the next Chelsea manager, according to Spanish news outlet OK Diario.
Simeone, 45, has been strongly linked with the Chelsea hot-seat since Jose Mourinho was sacked before Christmas and has since been installed as the frontrunner to replace interim manager Guus Hiddink at the end of the season after Manchester City won the race to appoint Pep Guardiola.
The fiery Argentinean’s name has been put in competition with Italian duo Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, but the Atletico boss appears to have won the race after telling the La Liga giants he will be moving on at the end of the current campaign.
Simeone has achieved unprecedented success in modern football since becoming Atletico boss in 2011, after successfully breaking up the La Liga duopoly to win the club’s first league title in 18 years and leading them to the Champions League final that same year.
The Rojiblancos are currently three points behind Barcelona in second place and have the second best defensive record across Europe’s top five leagues this season (11 goals conceded).
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